Photos by I. George Bilyk
Nine months after opening a specialty food store inside in the Ardmore Farmers Market at Suburban Square, Di Bruno Bros. expanded the location to 2,600 square feet last month.
Just in time for the holidays, the additional space allowed Di Bruno Bros. to increase its offerings of best-selling products including prepared foods, cheese, charcuterie and gourmet grocery items.
Since the Ardmore location opened, it has exceeded Di Bruno Bros. expectations. “We are grateful for the overwhelming response from the Main Line community to our move to the Ardmore Farmers Market,” said Billy Mignucci Jr., president of Di Bruno Bros. and grandson of founder Danny Di Bruno. “The culinary community of food enthusiasts is robust, and Di Bruno Bros. wants to continue its reputation as one of the finest specialty food destinations on the Main Line.” The Di Bruno's store at Ardmore was featured in the December 2011 issue of The Gourmet Retailer.
With the additional space, Di Bruno expanded its selection of fresh and frozen homemade pastas and sauces. DiBruno Bros. is the exclusive East Coast location for Cucina Fresca’s handmade, small batch sauces from Seattle. The larger Ardmore location includes more baked goods and grab and go family-sized portions of Di Bruno Bros. most popular prepared food selections.
Early this year, Di Bruno Bros. plans to introduce a made-to-order sandwich program that will include grilled cheese.
Ardmore Farmers Market
Since 1928, Suburban Square has been known as a shopping area, and over the years it has evolved to become a retail and restaurant destination that’s home to a list of well-known retailers including Williams-Sonoma and Kitchen Kapers kitchenware stores, Apple and more. In 2003, Suburban Square expanded with a brand new building for the Ardmore Farmers Market. Unlike traditional farmers markets where vendors operate seasonally and out of the back of their vehicles, this market is a fully enclosed building with permanent, year-round tenants.
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Today, the market is vibrant and thriving with 16 specialty retailers that include Great Harvest Bread, Cupcakes Gourmet, Saxbys Coffees, Stoltzfus Fresh Poultry and more.
The upscale suburban location is ideal for Di Bruno Bros., notes Emilio Mignucci, who is the company’s vice president of culinary pioneering. “They (area residents) don’t do a lot of cooking at home, so it is a great prepared foods and cheese area.”
Di Bruno Bros. first opened in Philadelphia’s Italian Market in 1939 as a grocery and convenience store. Today, Di Bruno Bros. has an online storefront plus four retail stores, including the Italian Market, in Rittenhouse Square and inside the Market and Shops at Comcast Center.
Cheesemonger Bill Bowles, pictured left, helps a customer select from the hundreds of Di Bruno Bros. selection of cheeses.
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Pictured left: Artist Warren Muller has salvaged whisks, flour sifters and other kitchen implements and transformed them into a unique light fixture that hangs above the Di Bruno Bros. specialty food section at Ardmore Farmers Market.
